Years ago the Montclair Chamber Ensemble, a chamber orchestra I founded along with Oscar Ravina was going to perform a concert for the benefit of Shomrei and the Hebrew School. One Thursday evening before the concert I called a member of the synagogue and asked if he would like to be one of the sponsors. He said, “No”, stating that his children had grown and that he hardly used the synagogue anymore. I was more than amused to see him in synagogue that very next evening at Friday night services saying Kaddish for the yahrzeit for one of his parents.
Many of us think of supporting the synagogue in proportion to our attendance. We think of it as a temporary structure like a tent. We put it up when we need shelter and take it down when we don’t. We know it must stand 24/7, 365 days each year, but somehow the responsibility for those other 364 days rests upon someone else’s shoulders. Why should I do my part and shoulder the burden when others use it more than I do?
The trouble is that we never know when we will need it. November 22, 1963, the day President Kennedy was shot, was a Friday. That night our synagogue (as I suspect synagogues all around the nation) was packed. Everyone was trying to make sense of the senseless. As wonderful as our Rabbi was, I doubt that he was able to set our broken world straight. Yet, we all wanted to be together, not under the roof of our neighbor, but under the roof of the synagogue.
It is the synagogue we go to in times of trouble and need and during life cycle events, both joyous and sad. Religion might not always be able to provide the answers to tragedy, but the synagogue is always there to give us strength and hope. As much as we might puzzle and question certain rituals, as human beings we need rituals, especially during difficult times. After the death of a loved one, we seek Jewish ritual to help guide and comfort us.
Shomrei not only takes care of the spiritual needs of its members but also our physical needs as well. The mensch squad drives congregants to doctors’ visits and provides meals to our congregants when needed. Every Tuesday a group of congregants provide meals for the homeless. In short, Shomrei is more than just a place to worship. It is a place of renewal and kind acts. Through its Jewish Learning Center and Adult Education programs it is a place of learning and perpetuation of the values of Conservative Judaism.
Shomrei is many things to many people: a house of prayer, a school for learning, a social club, a cinema, a lecture hall, a recital hall, a cafeteria for its congregants and for the needy, a place to host a party and a mitzvah mobile. Above all, it is a vital link in the perpetuation and passing of Jewish tradition and knowledge from one generation to the next.
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Beautifully put summary of my feelings, as well. Thank you, Ken.
Truer words were never said!!!!
Truly spoken from the heart